Homeopathic Remedies Jenny Is a

Homeopathic Remedies Jenny is a thirty-two-year-old Caucasian female who complains of various manifestations of acne vulgaris, including persistent blackheads on her nose, and painful, red cystic boils on her forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin. Occasionally Jenny's acne becomes itchy and she admitted to picking and popping her pimples. A few of her acne cysts have left scars on her cheeks. Jenny is a vegetarian, is not overweight, and has experimented with a variety of different dietary changes to rule out any food allergies.

However, we determined that cutting down on baked goods, sugar, and dairy products would be helpful for her recovery. Jenny has also experimented with a wide range of topical products and claims that none worked. Thus, after also determining that Jenny's acne cannot be cured through dietary or, we decided to conduct a thorough interview to determine the root causes of her acne and determine the appropriate homeopathic remedies she can use.

During the course of the interview we gleaned that Jenny deals with issues related to anger, anxiety, and irritability, and frequently suffers from fatigue and chilled extremities. Based on the assessment, we recommended the use of Calcarea carbonica, because of its applicability to clients with chilled extremities as well as anxiety. We also advised that Jenny try to avoid baked goods and refined sugars as much as possible. We also advised that Jenny begin a regular meditation, yoga, or tai chi practice to help her relax.

One month after treatment, Jenny's acne remained persistent, although she claimed feeling less fatigued throughout the day. Three months later Jenny noted that the cysts popped up less frequently and were less persistent. After six months, we performed a thorough follow-up meeting, at which Jenny appeared more jovial than she had during the initial interview. Jenny's skin showed definite signs of improvement. Although Jenny complained of blemishes, she admitted that both cysts and blackheads were less frequent and less persistent.

Case Study 2: Jim is a sixteen-year-old Caucasian male who, accompanied by both his parents, shyly admitted to frequent eruptions of cold sores on his mouth. When asked about their frequency, Jim stated that they will come in waves: over the period of two months he might get four of them, but then he would not get any for a year. Jim seemed shy and unwilling to talk about his problems and his parents had to field many of the therapeutic questions.

They admitted to us in private that Jim was irritable most of the time, had few friends, stayed up late, and ate a lot of junk food. Jim is slim but not muscular, although he gets regular exercise mostly through skateboarding. The cold sores did not seem to erupt after spending time in the sun, although the parents had suspected the sun might be part of the problem.

Concurrent with the cold sore eruptions, which would be on either corner of the mouth, Jim had temper problems and difficulty concentrating at school. Jim was not currently on any medications. We explained that cold sores are a form of herpes and recommended that in addition to the homeopathic remedies we would recommend that Jim conscientiously change his diet to eliminate junk foods, and any foods with excessive fat, sugar, and salt. We also recommend that Jim use lip balm with sunscreen regularly.

Although a handful of remedies apply to the symptoms associated with the herpes simplex virus causing the cold sores, we selected Natrum muriaticum because of its general applicability and relevance to Jim's overeating of salty snack foods. Emphasizing the need to alter diet, we asked that the family return in six months for a follow-up. During the follow-up session, Jim seemed generally less restless than he had on the earlier visit. He had not experienced any cold sore eruptions, but we requested another follow-up sessions in another six months.

Case Study 3: Rose is a seventy-year-old Caucasian female and a recent widow. Rose suffers from several maladies associated with the aging process, but claimed her most acute problem was her arthritis. Rose is currently on three different types of medications prescribed by her physician, for her thyroid and for her heart. Rose is of average build and has a strong mental capacity.

She claimed that the arthritis problems prevent her from being able to do her gardening or knitting work, and that within the past year the pain had spread from being solely in the joints of the fingers in her right hand to the joints of fingers in both hands and within the past month alone Rose claimed that intermittent pain in her knees and hips started to become bothersome. The arthritis pain in her fingers was, however, her primary concern, as it was chronic and debilitating.

When we examined her hands we could detect significant swelling of the joints and noticed that Rose had extremely limited mobility in all fingers. Rose's emotional disposition was calm and her humor level high. We selected Calcarea carbonica as Rose's primary remedy as its indications are for deep aches in the joints as well as an overall sense of weakness that is contrary to the client's enthusiastic mental state. We also recommended that Rose apply Arnica cream twice daily to her aching joints as a soothing topical remedy.

Six months later, Rose claimed noticeable improvements and had gained much more mobility in her hands and fingers. She admitted that her fingers still ached most of the time but that the intensity of the pain had diminished noticeably. The intermittent pains in her knees and hips had subsided significantly and we determined that the combination of the Calcarea carbonica and Arnica cream had been an effective treatment for Rose. Case Study 4: Jason is a twenty-year-old Asian male who has had asthma since he was a young boy.

Until recently, doctors have treated his asthma by the use of inhalers. However, Jason had recently developed an interest in complementary medicine and acupuncture and sought homeopathy as an adjunct to these modalities. While he insisted that he would not throw out his inhalers altogether, Jason noted a strong desire to eliminate his dependence on them and attempt to cure the root causes of his asthmatic disorder. Jason noted that social anxiety and performance anxiety had always been core psychological problems for him, for as long as he could remember.

An accomplished pianist, Jason's stage fright had been severe enough to bar him from participating in practicing orchestras. The exact symptoms of Jason's stage fright included dizziness, fluttering in his chest, and difficulty breathing, which prompted him to immediately use the inhaler. When anxious, Jason also experienced digestive problems such as gas. Jason's asthma manifested as difficulty breathing, wheezing, and coughing. Jason frequently felt the need to get fresh air and his symptoms worsened when he was forced to spend long hours indoors, such as when he was at school.

Jason is of average height and slim of build and claimed that his diet was healthy and free from too much sugar or junk food. The asthmatic symptoms were therefore not diet-related, although occasionally his asthma would act up after meals. Jason noted that he tended to cough much more at night than during the day. Based on Jason's symptoms, we prescribed Carbo vegetabilis, a remedy that applies specifically to asthma attacks concurrent with dizziness and hollow sensations as well as persistent need for fresh air.

When we conducted the follow-up interview with Jason six months later, he noted a remarkable lessening of symptoms and had once successfully performed at a recital without having used his inhaler. Case Study 5: Roy is a forty-one-year-old African-American male. A marketing executive, Roy travels frequently and spends long hours in airplanes or in cars. However, a robust and large man, Roy also seeks out regular exercise by working out in the gym, running, and playing sports when he can.

Roy's diet is of the meat-and-potatoes variety but he suffers from no known health problems. However, about a year ago, Roy claimed his back "went out" while he was working. He bent down to pick something up in the office and he heard and felt a click in his mid- to lower back. The pain, which was excruciating, resonated, and since that day Roy's back has been persistently but intermittently sore. At times the pain is so bad he must lie down.

According to Roy, massages help greatly, but he has of yet had little long-term results from chiropractic treatment. When he feels pain, Roy usually tries to rub his own back or must lie down immediately. Roy sometimes takes pain relief pills to lessen the symptoms, especially when he is working. When asked, Roy admitted that he is under a lot of stress at work. Roy is poised and charming and does not seem to have any aggressive or overly emotional tendencies.

However, when we began talking about his job, we noticed his shoulders tensing. Roy also enjoyed making jokes about uncomfortable topics and thus tended to cover up his uncomfortable emotions, like anger, with humor. We recommended the remedy Natrum muriaticum, as it applies readily to Roy's symptoms, including his responsiveness to massage, his suppressed emotion, and his tendency to keep his feelings concealed from those around him. We asked that Roy not alter anything about his exercise regime during the course of treatment.

Six months after Roy started taking the remedy, he returned to us for follow-up. Roy's posture was noticeably improved and he sat upright in spite of having returned from a business trip just that morning. When asked, Roy stated that he had been increasingly aware of his negative emotions and was making a conscious effort to consciously own up to his feelings by being more assertive at work, and by simply admitting to himself that he was angry.

Roy's back problems had waned; although last week he had a sudden relapse, he could readily attribute the setback to a stressful incident at work. Case Study 6: Judy is a thirty-five-year-old journalist of Cuban and Sephardic Jewish descent. Five years ago, she began suffering from digestive problems, ranging from constipation to loose stools. Flatulence, bloating, and cramps were also common for Judy, whose symptoms worsened over the past year. She saw a doctor five times since the initial onset of her symptoms.

Two years ago the doctor administered a series of partially invasive tests to determine if there were any serious conditions or tumors. No abnormalities were found in her colon, and the doctor diagnosed Judy with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Since the diagnosis, Judy has performed research on her own, through books and internet articles. The research has helped her to change her diet, which has eliminated some of the severity of her symptoms.

However, the IBS persists; Judy still experiences bloating, cramping, constipation, and diarrhea, especially when she eats foods that irritate her. Through her reading, Judy also realized that her chronic fatigue might also be related to the IBS, and that her stressful job might be adversely contributing to her symptoms. Judy started seeing a naturopath three months ago. We recommended that Judy take Lycopodium, which is indicated for general symptoms related to irritable bowel syndrome including bloating, gas, and cramping. Six months later, Judy returned.

She claimed no alleviation of symptoms, in spite of keeping her diet relatively free from allergens. We elected to start Judy on a different remedy: Natrum carbonicum, as it also pertains to general IBS symptoms associated with persons who have significant food intolerances. Case Study 7: Sandra is a twenty-five-year-old African-American female who leads an active, outdoorsy lifestyle and who works as communications director for a local company. Sandra has suffered from persistent bladder infections (cystitis) since she was a teenager.

Aware that bladder infections are often related to having sex, she has taken the recommended precautions such as urinating immediately after intercourse or oral sex and drinking plenty of fluids when symptoms occur. Sandra's symptoms have lessened since she has been taking these precautions. However, she notes occasional but slight burning upon urination that comes on usually at night. She would like to eliminate these symptoms and does not wish to take any antibiotics.

Sandra is not in a committed relationship and although she has multiple sex partners, uses condoms religiously. In fact, Sandra is concerned that she might have developed a mild latex allergy. Because Sandra has multiple sex partners, we recommend continued use of condoms to protect her from sexually-transmitted diseases. We initially considered administering the remedy Staphysagria because of its applicability to sex-related cystitis but because Sandra emphasized that the burning sensation in her urethra occurred randomly and not necessarily in conjunction with sex, prescribed the more general remedy Borax.

Borax is used to treat conditions related to inflammation and can be especially helpful for relieving the pain associated with bladder infections. We asked that Sandra return to us in six months. When she did, she claimed no significant improvements, and we then administered Sarsaparilla, which is equally as general and which can be effective especially when other homeopathic remedies for the infection failed to work. Sandra called us two months after she began taking the Sarsaparilla, and noted that she was free from the pain associated with her cystitis.

Case Study 8: Michael is a twelve-year-old Caucasian boy whose parents claim comes down with the flu about once a year in spite of being otherwise healthy. His parents had recently been urged by the school board to administer flu shots to their son. Aware of its potential drawbacks, including allergic reactions, the parents are hesitant to give Michael the inoculation. Instead, they are seeking to incorporate natural preventative and treatment measures in their already wholesome lifestyle.

Michael takes a multivitamin daily, eats plenty of fruits and vegetables, and is generally active. Michael is a cheerful, well-mannered young man whose interests are broad and varied. For a twelve-year-old, Michael is mature and calm, perhaps owing to his parents' skills. However, several other kids at school recently came down with the flu, and yesterday Michael woke up with a sore throat. Michael's parents are seeking both a homeopathic adjunct that will stimulate Michael's immunity to the virus as well as a remedy that will reduce his current symptoms.

We selected Oscillococcinum, one of the most general and common homeopathic remedies used for flue treatment and prevention. We asked that Michael and his parents check in with us the following day and then six months later. The following day, the parents told us on the phone that Michael's symptoms had progressed into common cold symptoms such as runny nose but that he didn't need to take any time off of school.

Six months later during the interview, Michael reported having had no flu-like symptoms in spite of the fact that his best friend was sick.